… Conservatives are already explaining away the Cuccinelli defeat. He was vastly outspent by McAuliffe. He was tarnished the incumbent Republican governor’s ethics scandal. He was hurt by the government shutdown — which was, of course, engineered by Tea Party Republicans. One in three Virginia voters said someone in their household […] Read more »
Lessons for 2014 and beyond from the 2013 Elections
The great thing about elections is that they have a definitive conclusion. People win. People lose. Even so, everyone has a different definition of what the results actually “mean.” Here’s how I see it: CONT. Amy Walter, Cook Political Report Read more »
Obamacare Impact on Virginia Vote Steers Strategy in 2014
Republicans cite their 2.5-point defeat in the Virginia governor’s race as proof that Ken Cuccinelli would have reversed his fortunes if he’d hammered earlier and longer on Obamacare, an issue the attorney general said tightened the contest in its final days. Democrats argue Terry McAuliffe’s narrow Nov. 5 victory amid […] Read more »
The Surprisingly Dramatic Terry & Ken Show
A year ago, almost everyone who followed Virginia politics thought that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) had the inside track to winning the governorship. … So it’s actually noteworthy that McAuliffe won by any margin. Ultimately, Cuccinelli was just too socially conservative for a moderate swing state that is trending […] Read more »
Lessons on Immigration in Two Governors’ Races
Republicans in Congress studying the results from the governors’ elections in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday see two starkly different test cases for how the party should move on immigration. In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie was boosted to a blowout victory by more than 20 points in part […] Read more »
Terry McAuliffe won, but why was the Virginia race so close? Here are 6 reasons.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s win over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor’s race was predicted by virtually all public polls. But the narrowness of that victory was, largely, missed by polls. So, why was it so close, and what did the polls miss? CONT. Peyton M. Craighill & Scott Clement, […] Read more »